Sask. Opposition says Ponteix francophone school in dire need of upgrades

Sarah Onyango · CBC News

· Posted: May 06, 2025 4:31 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

Saskatchewan's Opposition NDP says a rural francophone schoolhouse successful the state has deteriorated into a terrible, unsafe state.

École Boréale in located successful Ponteix, Sask., astir 220 kilometres southwest of Regina, and provides pre-kindergarten to Grade 12 French acquisition to students successful the Cadillac, Vanguard, Aneriod and Ponteix areas.

Jaqueline Roy, NDP professional for francophone affairs, said successful the legislative assembly connected Monday that she visited the schoolhouse and recovered it successful a unspeakable state. She described "the ruined library, the cracks successful the walls and the worn carpets successful the gymnasium."

"In my 17 years arsenic a nonrecreational educator, I person ne'er seen a schoolhouse worse than this one," Roy said.

Walter Chizzini, assemblage improvement cause for Les Auvergnois de Ponteix, which represents francophone groups successful the area, said the school's conditions were not acceptable for the 15 students who attend.

"The fig of students increased, and it was indispensable to get portables," said Chizzini. "But, successful these portables, pseudo-classrooms were created, truthful the abstraction has been wholly insufficient since the school's creation."

Roy said francophone students are looking to be English schools successful the country owed to the authorities of the school.

"We person a schoolhouse that is virtually hemorrhaging students to the English schoolhouse successful the aforesaid assemblage due to the fact that it is ne'er successful effect lived up to the standards of a regular school," Roy said.

The Conseil des écoles fransaskoises, the French schoolhouse part for the full province, said successful a connection that the Ponteix school's infrastructure needs are captious and person been for respective years.

"We are actively moving with the Government of Saskatchewan to code this urgently," the connection said.

Roy called connected SaskBuilds and Procurement Minister David Marit, whose riding includes Ponteix, to sojourn and spot the school first-hand.

Education Minister Everett Hindley said Monday that the government accrued the fund for Saskatchewan's 27 schoolhouse divisions by 8.4 per cent successful the astir caller budget.

"We admit that determination are priorities crossed Saskatchewan, successful our large centres, but besides successful our agrarian communities, from 1 borderline to the other," helium said.

Hindley acknowledged that determination is simply a batch of enactment to bash successful buildings similar the Boréale School. He said helium hasn't been to the schoolhouse himself, but would be happy to bash so.

He besides confirmed that the schoolhouse part has received a petition from the schoolhouse astir bringing its facilities up to standard, and that the part and his ministry are having discussions about additional backing successful the 2026-27 budget.

"So we are evidently alert of it and that's wherever it presently sits successful the process," Hindley said.